Dash marries your car and iPhone [w/video]

Aftermarket
smartphone integration leaves plenty to be desired. Most systems limit the usability of your device and require a tangle of cords or battery-sucking
Bluetooth. Then there's the headache of trying to figure out how to access your files and applications via the stereo's cryptic controls. A new Kickstarter project aims to fix all that. Dash is a standard double-din head unit that uses a unique magnetic CNC-aluminum faceplate to dock your phone straight into your vehicle's dashboard. From there, accessing
GPS, sending texts (by voice, of course) and playing music is as simple as swiping your screen. Pretty slick.

Dash features a video pass through so users can play video on external monitors, and the system keeps your phone charged while in use. The unit pumps out 4x50w of power and includes two preamps for front and rear subwoofers.

We typically get antsy any time we see technology that encourages distraction. To that end, Dash also includes an
app to make all of your auto-themed applications easily accessible from one home screen. While that should cut down on the amount of time spent flipping through the main menu, it still appears that drivers will have to squint at their phones from behind the wheel.

The system features some interesting innovations, too. In addition to carrying the traditional FM tuner and an AUX in, Dash will eventually allow users to connect to their vehicle's computer. That, we can get behind.

The system is expected to begin shipping in June 2012. At first, Dash will only support the
iPhone 4 and 4S, but Devium, the company behind Dash, hopes to support other smartphones in the future. Check out the
Kickstarter page for more information, and click
past the jump for a quick video of the system in action.

The Devium Dash to Change the Way we Use Our iPhones and Androids in the Car

Colorado Springs, CO (Feb. 6, 2012)-Devium, a new car audio company that will change the way we use our smartphones in the car, today announced the introduction of the Devium Dash.

Designed to fully integrate smartphones and utilize them as the interface for car audio needs, the Devium Dash is a minimalist yet elegant design that will complement the interior of any vehicle and satisfy any audiophile's needs.

Dash doesn't require that you learn a new interface to use your stereo. You already know how to use your phone to access your music, your navigation app, your phone calls, and the incredible number of other apps in your phone's marketplace.

The Dash's innovative interchangeable faceplate design allows you to keep your phone at the center of your car and allows you to have the functionality of a several thousand dollar DVD navigation unit sans the headaches of the learning curve, the lack of apps, or repurchasing the same apps, and at a fraction of the cost.

"I saw a fragmented marketplace when it came to integrating smartphones into car stereos," said Paul Lizer, Creator and Owner of the Devium Dash. "So I thought why not develop a product where the smartphone is the interface and give the customer a platform they're already familiar with."

The Dash will feature Bluetooth for hands-free calling and will allow users to designate their top five app icons to appear in landscape mode for easy viewing while on the go. It will also feature an FM tuner that will automatically switch over to radio stations' streaming audio over the Internet when a loss of signal occurs, allowing drivers to listen to their favorite local stations anywhere in the U.S. (Please see following page for full specs)

Lizer expects the first shipments of the Dash will start in July 2012 and is currently utilizing the KickStarter web-based capital-raising service to round out funding. A $250 investment into the company will buy you the Devium Dash, which is a $50 discount off the retail price starting in July.

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